Billy Graham and Christian America

It seems as though we have come full circle this week from the beginning of the semester and the fiery revivals of Jonathan Edwards in the 18th century to the tamer, quiet fire of Billy Graham in a large span of the 20th century. Graham has been a subject of relentless criticism, yet his fame as a preacher gave him seemingly limitless power over many aspects of American life, especially politics. He has truly been “America’s pastor” meeting with Presidents from Kennedy to Obama, and also meeting with the people on the ground - soldiers, college students, and working class alike. His influence is truly felt in many aspects of daily American life, even now. 

I think Wacker gives Graham’s “many faces” a fair and insightful overview. I both like and dislike that the book doesn’t read like a typical chronological biography. On the one hand, I feel like I walked away from “America’s Pastor” with a concentrated knowledge of Billy Graham’s adult life and a straightforward interpretation of his work. However, I’m not so sure I now possess a concrete knowledge into what made Billy Graham so incredibly influential, other than the stereotypical sort of proposal of keen charisma and icon. Perhaps I’m interested in learning more what made a small town North Carolina man that could preach to over a million people internationally at once and be very deeply understood tick. This leads me to believe that the only question I can really ask is “What made Billy Graham… well, Billy Graham?” because there has truly not been, nor will there ever be again, another. 

As a side note about Graham’s family name in our current culture - as the patriarch, Billy, approaches 100, much of his ministry life has been “taken over” by his son, Franklin. However, Franklin has not even half the influence of his father. Part of me wants to believe that this is in part due to something Franklin has that Billy didn’t - a bitterness toward people that disagree with his political opinions. However, I’d also be interested in exploring the cultural shifts in America over the last 10 years - since Billy Graham “retired” in 2005, as a potential reason why the Grahams are losing popularity with the public.